Crimping-board for boots and shoes



' (NoModeL) 0.1%,. GIBBS & B. FEDDON.

Crimping Board for Boots and Shoes.

No. 240,996. Patented May 3,1881.

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STATES WNITE CHARLES R. GIBBS AND EDWARD FEDDON, OF HABRISONBURG,VIRGINIA.

CRlMPlNG-BOARD FOR BOOTS AND SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,996, dated May 3,1881.

Application filed November 5, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES It. Genes and EDWARD FEDDON, ofHarrisonburg, in the county of Itockingham and State of Vir ginia, haveinvented a new and useful Iniprovement in Crimping-Boards for Boots andShoes, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improvement in crimping-boards for boots andshoes, as herein after described, and particularly pointed out in theclaim.

The object of the invention is to produce a crimping-board which, whilesubserving the purposes of the crimping-board now in use, will alsoimpart to the leather the form of the foot, whereby, when the upper ofthe boot or shoe is removed from the board, it may be at once placedupon the last and the shoe or boot completed without again stretchingand working the leather, as has been necessary heretofore in themanufacture of shoes and boots.

Heretofore crimping-boards have been constructed with flat sides, andthe upper edge of the foot portion has been even and plain. They havenot had the spring and concave to form the instep and top of the foot,or the configuration to give the upper the right and left shape. Uponthese crimping-boards the wetted leather was stretched by pinchers andby rubbing and clamped or tacked on the edges, to remain until dry. Theoperation of stretchin g and working the leather on the board required agreat deal of time and labor, and after being dried the leather wasremoved and placed upon the last, where it was again stretched andworked to give it the contour of the footviz., the right and left andinstep formation. The leather was thus necessarily submitted to twooperations of rubbing and stretching, which not only consumed laborandtime, but also had the effect of weakening the leather and producingthereby an inferior shoe.

Our crimping-board, constructed, as aforesaid, to not only crimp theupper, but to give it the right and left and instep formations,dispenses with the latter operation above described, and saves therebythe injurious effect upon the leather caused by the second soaking,rubbing, stretching, 850., as well as the time and labor employed insaid operation, and produces a much better shoe or boot at a reducedcost. \Ve place the wetted leather upon the crimpinging-board, and atone operation of stretching the upper is made to conform to the foot,when it is placed upon the last and the shoe finished at once. The lastis used not as a stretcher, but simply as a convenient block to hold thevarious parts of the shoe in proper relation while they are being puttogether. The boot or shoe thus made is produced at a considerablyreduced expense, and is a very superior article.

The construction of the crimping-board is represented in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a perspective viewwith the upper and front of the leg portion in position and crimped.Fig. 2 represents views of the crimping-board and the crimped upper andfront of the leg portion, and Fig. 3 a bottom view.

' The letter A indicates the vertical body portion, which is shapedalong its length to crimp the leg of the boot, and is'formed on itsfront edge with the curved portion B, for crimping or forming the instepto the leather, and with a longititudinal foot portion, 0, having theopposite sides curved, as at D and E, for causing the upper to partakeof the right and left sides of the foot.

Heretofore lasts for boots and shoes have been formed with curves whichimpart the right and left formations to the upper; but such is not ourinvention, and is therefore not claimed.

In our invention the upper and leg portion, after being subjected to theaction of the crimping-board, are placed upon the ordinary last andfinished as usual.

WVhat we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

The crimping-board herein described, consisting of the vertical bodyportion A, formed integral with the foot portion 0, having the sidecurves, D and E, to impart the right and left formation of the foot tothe leather, and with the curve B, for imparting the instep formation tothe same, all as herein described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing improvement in crimping-boardsfor boots and shoes, as above described, we have hereunto set our handsthis 17th day of September, 1880.

CHARLES R. GIBBS. EDWARD FEDDON. Witnesses CHARLES E. HAAS, JAMES M.WARREN.

